juggling hens

you decide to stuff
a couple of cute
Cornish hens for dinner,
but you can't get past
how small and compact
these little
featherless hens
are. are they even
hens? what is a hen
exactly? how did they
get so small
and where is Cornish,
isn't that in Vermont
where salinger lived?
these poor little hens.
were they mistreated
when they were chicklets,
stuck in tiny cages,
left without food
because of the other
bossy bigger hens.
but all that aside
you like their little
legs and wings,
and yes, they are
headless, but that's
okay, they are still
rather adorable
for meat that you
are about to season
and bake in the oven.
you hold one in each
hand, then juggle
them in the kitchen,
up into the air
they go, back and
forth, the cold slap
of hen breast hitting
your palms. you are
so glad that you live
alone and that no
one has to see this.